With summer just around the corner, we can't wait to get outside and into the thick of nature. Inspired by outdoor living, Moskow Lin Architects has designed a series of Swamp Huts, which are efficiently built upon a small parcel of land just outside of Boston. The eco-design is composed of four huts designated for cleansing, sleeping, dining and socializing.

Keith Moscow and Robert Linn’s initial concept for the Swamp Huts was perpetually rethought and reinvented over nearly two decades. The project has in fact been reincarnated as an Architecture for Humanity competition entry, a disaster housing proposal, an eco-resort lodging plan, and even as a submission to the Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture Awards. But it wasn’t until Moscow inherited a piece of land in a Boston suburb in 2008 that the duos’ dream finally become a reality.

Measuring 580 square feet in total, the Swamp Huts feature a light building footprint with four gabled huts connected by a central wooden deck with a fire pit. Each pitched-roof hut features a wooden frame, is stabilized by pre-fabricated wooden trusses, and is lined with transparent fiberglass that set the structures aglow like individual lanterns against the wooded landscape.

Sustainability was a key design consideration — all materials were, whenever possible, sourced responsibly and carried to the site by hand. The entire project cost just $7,500 – in part because they enlisted friends for help at the site and pre-fabricated much of the work off-site. The cleansing hut has also been outfitted with a composting toilet and solar shower.

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bpg131313March 31, 2011 at 7:15 pm

It looks like a great idea, but I have to be honest, as a frequent camper the first thing I noticed with these designs is the lack of airflow through the top, so there’s a possibility of condensation issues. The other thing I noticed is the “frosted” sides (likely plastic of some kind) and thought about light transference. Frosted windows seem to amplify light, so it’ll actually be brighter inside than outside (my tent does the same thing with its white and orange sides). It’s not a bad thing, but don’t think you’ll be sleeping in.